The Auswine Forum

Hi
It is said that the Cabernet Sauvignon is the king of red.
Which is the King of white?
Thanks
Ray

Chardonnay

The msot expensive white wine in the world
DRC Montrachet
Coche Dury Corton Charlemagne
Domaine Leflaive Chevalier Montrachet

Most Expensive white wine down under
Petaluma "Tears"
Penfold "White Elephant" Yattarna
Giaconda
LEAS

Got to be riesling.How many15- 20 year old chardonnays drink as well as some of the Leo Buring rieslings that John Vickery made.Still think that Penfolds "white grange(Yattarna) should have been a riesling.Thats not to say I dislike chardonnay,its just riesling ages better and it doesn't need oak to add to its appeal.
Clare,Eden Valley,Victorian rieslings all have their distinctive characters that are not masked by oak.

I wouldnt pay a "King ransom" for a Riesling. No doubt some Riesling do aged better than a Chardy, the lack of interest make Riesling a unlikely candidate. The auction never lie...

...unless it's a Egon Muller Scharzhofberger late harvest long Goldkapsel.

A Chardonnay from a reputable region is probably the most expensive white wine in the World but by no means it is the king of all white varieties. There goes a saying: “Great wines are measured not from where they begin but from where they end…. in our glass.”. We don’t pay through our nose for a costly bottle just because it’s from a historical vineyard unless one considers buying highly priced wines fashionable. Wines are not antiques. They are for our drinking pleasure. Though the Char is the most popular white at the moment, I feel it should sit beside the throne rather than be in it because the King should have been the humble Riesling. Riesling has all the traits Chardonnay has but not the reverse.
1) Explosive fruitiness
2) Versatility of styles (bone-dry to sweet) IÂ’ve never come across a mildly sweet Char.
3) High aging potential (the oldest bottle is dated 1917) in Rheingau.
4) Ability to reflect terroir. Try one from a slaty vineyard and instantly youÂ’ll realize just how
mineral the wine is.
5) It doesnÂ’t require blending or ageing in oak for extra aroma.
6) Multi-cuisine friendly. Chardonnay does not complement hot and spicy Asian food. It just explodes in the mouth due to the extreme dryness, weight and oakiness whereas the Riesling is able to put out the fire and refreshes the palate. Drinking a well-balanced Riesling is like having a heavenly mix of fresh fruit juices with a fair amount of alcohol be it bone-dry, dry, mildly sweet or lusciously sweet. Riesling is regaining the throne and the ABC approach is apparent.
http://www.wineanorak.com/anything.htm
As a matter of fact, I wish to try all the wines in the World if my small pocket allows.
Thanks
Ray

For history, versatility, and just sheer flavour, it's Riesling, no doubt.

cheers,
Graeme

From Champagne to Margaret River, from Beechworth to Chablis, from Geelong to Burgundy, I will gladly take chardonnay. Great blanc de blanc champagne, and great chablis, ages just long enough for me, thank you very much.

I like riesling too, mind. But chardonnay is my king white.

Campbell.

Sauvignon Blanc! The most famous grape in the land of the long white cloud.

Gentlemen, I have read the foregoing opinions, and I was inclined to side with the riesling side of the argument, until it dawned upon me (epiphany style) that the king of whites must be the principal variety which goes into a Tokaji wine.

That wine has been called "the king of wines and the wine of kings"; and it ages beautifully.

I'm not sure which varieties go into the mixture, but surely that's the answer. Perhaps Attila could assist in a more complete answer, but that's one man's humble opinion.

PJ.

Anonymous wrote:From Champagne to Margaret River, from Beechworth to Chablis, from Geelong to Burgundy, I will gladly take chardonnay. Great blanc de blanc champagne, and great chablis, ages just long enough for me, thank you very much.

I like riesling too, mind. But chardonnay is my king white.

Campbell.

I with you Mattineye.

JP

Anonymous wrote:From Champagne to Margaret River, from Beechworth to Chablis, from Geelong to Burgundy, I will gladly take chardonnay. Great blanc de blanc champagne, and great chablis, ages just long enough for me, thank you very much.

I like riesling too, mind. But chardonnay is my king white.

Campbell.

Overall, you're probably right.

but some of my greatest wine experiences have been with aged Riesling and Hunter Semillons!

That said, there was a DRC Montrachet a few years ago .... mmmmmmmmmmmmm

prester john wrote:Gentlemen, I have read the foregoing opinions, and I was inclined to side with the riesling side of the argument, until it dawned upon me (epiphany style) that the king of whites must be the principal variety which goes into a Tokaji wine.

That wine has been called "the king of wines and the wine of kings"; and it ages beautifully.

I'm not sure which varieties go into the mixture, but surely that's the answer. Perhaps Attila could assist in a more complete answer, but that's one man's humble opinion.

PJ.

Furmint is the major grape variety that goes into the great sweet wines of Tokaji. However, that sensation dry white variety, Harslevelu, is also sometimes in the mix.

Adair

Viognier maybe???

On second thoughts no-one in their right mind could possibly take this answer seriously. It's getting a little too close to April 1st for starters.

Cheers
Ian

Like my guru said, "opinions are like armpits. everyone has got couple of 'em"

Missed something here. Vanya Cullen prefers to drink fresh young whites. I do too because that's the way I like them.

But ageability seems to be the major criterion around here. Yes, I have tried some older whites (Tahbilk Marsanne 2000 highly recommended but enjoyed it more within a year or two of release) and reckon white table wines are at their best within a couple of years of release.

Chardonnay is often overworked to add dubious compexity to a wine that unoaked, without malolactic fermentation and all the other winemaking magic is usually extremely ordinary but still sometimes quaffable.

Semillon is usually a bit better but young examples can have extreme acid that need to be accompanied by unsweetened lemon quarters to bring out the fruit, particularly those from the Hunter Valley Wine Society. Gave up on Elizabeth too around the 98 or 99 vintage. Noble One not excluded on the aged, botrytis side of things though, it and others of it's ilk can be good dessert wines, depending on the dessert.

I'm surprised that verdelho hasn't been mentioned as I recall there was a release a few years ago of an aged (fortified?) wine of this variety that everyone who posted comments simply raved about. Moondah Brook established the benchmark for me with this variety though rarely drink much of it.

Chenin blanc has generated some discussion recently. Have only tasted a WA winery's version that I thought superior to their unwooded chardonnay but it's a significant component of Houghton White Bungundy that on my last tasting I thought to be a bit on the sweet side for me.

The only pinot gris/grigio I've tried was crap, spoiled, so can't really comment.

Haven't tried many viogniers but am not enamoured of those I have.

Sauvignon Blanc. Good young ones from Marlborough NZ are as good as this variety gets. Stoneleigh, with little vintage variation, is delicious, especially with asian food. Henscke's Coralinga can be OK but the only vintage, 2002, I've tried did benefit from a year's rest - was ordinary the year of release but was at it's peak last year.

Riesling. Well, don't know of any Australian spark-a-lack-a-lark-a lings being made from it. Like a good Marlborough sauv blanc, a good Aus riesling will win me every time. Don't need to be in the mood for anything other than a crisp dry white wine. Prefer to be approachable when young asin the Seppelt Drumborg or Mitchelton Blackwood styles. It is versatiile and is produced in almost as many, maybe more, viticultural regions in Aus than even chard.

Riesling is the top australian white varietal for me. Too many winemakers try too many tricks with their chardonnays and it just can't compete with riesling as a naked grape any more than it can with a good sauv blanc.

Damn. And I wrote off sauv blanc as a varietal 10 years ago but it's come back to bite me, and verdelho's snapping at me too while semillon is just there, just ask Peter Lehmann.

Now, what's the KING of any Australian-grown wine grape variety, red or white? Depends on your individual palate preferences.

Silly question, what about your favourite blended varietals?

daz

My nominations:

Chardonnay - As a full-bodied, dry white can reach heights that most grapes could only dream of.

Riesling - dry or sweet, young or aged...just seems to work.

Semillon - not just as Hunter Semillon, but also as a component of Sauternes and White Bordeaux in general.

Muscadelle - Not just as a component of Sauternes and White Bordeaux, but as the source of Rutherglen Tokay.

Kieran